Construction is set to begin soon on the new Prince Edward County Social Services (SS) building on Industrial Park Road in part of the parking lot across from the STEPS building.

“We should be breaking ground, I’m hoping, within a week,” Prince Edward County Administrator Wade Bartlett said Wednesday.

Following a closed session Jan. 8, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to execute the contract on the new building.

Bartlett said the contract is with Blair Construction, a company out of Gretna, in the amount of $3,596,000.

Former Buffalo District Supervisor C.R. “Bob” Timmons Jr., who resigned effective Jan. 31, made the motion to execute the contract Jan. 8 and offered some details on the process that led to that motion in a later interview.

“I think we had five bidders on that, I believe it was five, and that was just to approve the contract for that,” he said.

Bartlett confirmed that Blair Construction offered the lowest bid.

Timmons said that “we went out for bid in the first of December, and then we took the bids,” and he noted that the whole process from start to execution of contract took probably six weeks.

Construction of the new building is expected to be complete in approximately five months.

“We’re shooting for July 28,” Bartlett said, adding that the actual opening date for operation may be at the end of July or in early August.

The services that will be provided in the new building are currently provided in of the Prince Edward County Courthouse.